While You Were Away
by AaronCottrell97
Summary: Things have finally settled down after Thomas' return to Sodor, so now he and his friends have time to catch up on everything that happened on Sodor in Thomas' absence and Thomas can finally tell them his stories of his big world adventure.


It was another beautiful Autumn day on Sodor. It was the day after Thomas and Emily had gone to Black Loch together for the first time since he left Sodor, and together they had shared what was most likely the steamiest, most luscious and most passionate spell of love they had ever done together. After they had their chance to settle all their romantic delay, now was their chance to exchange all their social stories about what happened while he was away, and a chance for him to tell her all his stories.

For most of the day, Thomas and Emily were working hard as usual. Thomas was back on his Branch Line with Annie and Clarabel, who were most ecstatic to see him again. Thomas even blew them kisses as he arrived that morning. As he worked on his Branch Line again, he managed to meet Bertie again, who looked forward to their next race someday.

Emily was working happily too. She was most keen to tell Thomas everything that had happened while he was away, and even keener to hear everything about his adventures. It would certainly be an interesting time to spend together.

That evening, Thomas and Emily's work was done. Thomas returned to the yards and left Annie and Clarabel in their siding, just as Emily came into the yards too, leaving her trucks in another siding. Percy came by too to see Thomas.

"Hello, Emily," said Thomas. "Lovely day. I was back on my Branch Line again at last."

"Were you?" said Emily. "How is it, to have Thomas back, Annie and Clarabel?"

"It is most wonderful to see him again, Emily," said Annie.

"We didn't know when or if he'd ever be back," Clarabel added.

"Well, I'm back now, your ladyships," said Thomas. "And it's more than I could ever want."

"They really missed you, Thomas," said Percy. "Even if I took them sometimes, they still wondered about you."

"Well, Emily," said Thomas. "Now that our work is done today, what do you say we do?"

Emily looked at Thomas and suddenly remembered. Perhaps they could tell their stories to each other.

"Well, Thomas," she said. "Our work is finished now. As such, I've been thinking…would you like us to share our stories, now that we already settled our long overdue lovemaking? There's so much to tell, so much to catch up on. What do you think?"

"Storytime? That's a great idea, Emily," said Thomas. "Would you like to join us, Percy?"

"Of course, Thomas," said Percy. "It would be fun to pass the time until my mail run tonight. Count me in."

"I'm with you too," said another voice. David came striding toward the three engines, holding a small crate. He placed it in Emily's cab, then climbed onto her running plate and hugged her, making Emily close her eyes and smile. Then David kissed her cheek, making her blush and giggle.

"Aww," Thomas and Percy said together.

"I think you'll find my stories while you were away…interesting," David said to Thomas.

"Goodness me," said Thomas. "I'm definitely keen to know more about my angel's driver's son."

"But where shall we tell our stories, Emily?" said Thomas. "We've already used Black Loch last night."

"What about the Whistling Woods?" asked Percy. "It's peaceful there."

"Good thinking, Percy," said Thomas. "Let's go."

David stepped in Emily's cab, Thomas buffered to Emily and they set off down the line, with Percy following on the line beside them. Thomas was quite excited now. He would hear all about what happened on Sodor in his absence, and he couldn't wait to learn the details.

When they reached the Whistling Woods, they all stopped on the line together. Percy stopped beside Thomas, and David got out again, then sat on Emily's running plate. They were altogether now. The storytelling could begin.

"Here we are then," said Thomas.

"So, Thomas," said Emily. "Who should tell stories first? Would you like to tell your stories, or hear everything that happened here?"

"Oh, Emily," said Thomas. "I'd really like to know what happened here first. I think it's only polite for you to go first anyway."

Emily blushed, then began telling her story, while Thomas listened to everything he had missed out on.

"Well, Thomas," said Emily. "Everything started happening three weeks after you had left. During that time, not much had happened. But I quickly began to miss you very badly. All the engines tried what they could to help me feel alright, but it just wasn't enough for me to feel settled. By the time the third week ended, it was already becoming too much for me to ignore…All I could do was wonder where in the world you were…then that night, I saw David come by the sheds."

"Hmm," said Thomas. "What did he do?"

David stepped down from Emily and retrieved the crate from her cab.

"I put this in your berth, Thomas," he said. "And this was inside it all the time." He opened the crate and showed Thomas the picture of himself.

"Really? You kept that in my berth, all these months?" asked Thomas.

"I did, Thomas," said David. "As a message that you would come home eventually. We all just knew you would return. I assured Emily she wouldn't be alone."

Thomas smiled cutely. "Thank you, David. Did anything else happen that night?"

Emily suddenly remembered. "Y-yes, Thomas. Something that was sad, but also very beautiful. Shortly after David walked away toward the yards, I wondered what I could do without you…and I…I saw him!"

"Who, Emily?" asked Thomas.

Emily's eyes began to tear up. "L-Lawrence! He appeared before me spiritually!"

Thomas gasped. "Impossible! He did?!"

"Yes, Thomas," said Emily. "He told me to not spend all that time missing you so badly. He told me that David should get to know the rest of the island, telling me it was too precious not to be shared with him."

"My goodness," said Thomas.

"Then, as he began to drift away, I tried to follow him, right until I met David again in the yards, and he saw him too."

"It was past extraordinary, Thomas," said David. "To see my father again. He encouraged me to reach out to the rest of the island to find more happiness. And in some ways, I have reached out to most of Sodor so far, mostly by Emily's support. In the end, I did manage to fulfill what my father wished for me…but we'll get to that later."

"Well, what happened next, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"After seeing my dear first driver again, I still felt troubled over you not being here. I had a passenger run to Black Loch that evening, and to be there without you…without you, Tommy…it was so lonely there! Even seeing the seals again didn't bring me much joy. It was so much more fun seeing them with you…"

"Dear me, Emily," said Thomas. "You really were lonely."

"Not for long, Thomas," put in Percy. "I had seen Emily earlier that day, and I knew she was feeling lonely without you…but so did I. I followed her to Black Loch, and mentioned an idea I had for her."

"Yes?" said Thomas.

Percy looked a little nervous now. "Well…I…uh…invited her to Knapford Sheds that evening."

Thomas looked at Percy with a questioning expression. "That's the Love Shed for Emily and I, Percy," he said. "And just what did you do there with her?"

"Well…I knew she was very lonely, Thomas," said Percy. "I didn't want her to be feeling that way all the time…so I suggested that she and I could sleep there every now and then…and share kisses together, just as mother to son."

"Really?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, Thomas," said Emily. "I felt very happy that Percy suggested that to me. But we only did it because I love him as my son figure. The most we did whenever we were there was kisses to the cheeks, and warm, cozy cuddling together."

Thomas smiled as he looked back at Percy. "Well, did you enjoy snuggling with your mother, Percy?" he winked.

Percy giggled. "I did, Thomas. So did she. She felt much happier now that she had a chance to enjoy being a mother to me."

"However, I did go just a tiny step too far for Percy that night," said Emily. "Since I missed you so much, Thomas…I…I began to suck on Percy's cheek, and I whispered your nickname too. Percy was very smart to speak up and tell me to stop."

"Oh, Emily…" Thomas said.

"It felt very strange to me, Thomas," said Percy. "I love her so much as a mother…but that's why I asked her to stop."

"Then, I made sure to be more gentle, and I just kissed and nibbled his face as a loving mother," Emily said surely.

Thomas smiled again. "I think you two are a perfect mother and son."

Percy spoke again. "After I had my chance to kiss her cheeks, we fell asleep there together, feeling much happier ever since you left."

"Yes, Percy," Emily smiled.

"Well, I think that was a very smart thing for both of you to do," said Thomas. "I'm glad you didn't spend the entire time missing me."

"But then things got a little rough," said Emily. "With David."

"I'd probably say very rough," said David. "You never knew this, Thomas…but back when I was still working on the Sea Emperor, I heard news from Sodor that sparked a strong sense of anger, and even revenge against two particular engines…"

"Who?" asked Thomas.

"Donald and Douglas," said David. "I'm sure you know about that incident with Emily in the middle?"

"Oh, I do, David," said Thomas. "Emily told me about it that night. Even I was a little angry about the situation."

"Oh, you weren't nearly as angry as I was, when I began my little standoff with the twins," said David.

"It all started when the Thin Controller gave Percy a passenger ticket for a tour through Arlesburgh to give to David," said Emily. "Percy brought it to him, but he rejected the offer and left. When I approached him that night at Tidmouth Sheds, he was suddenly a different person. He broke it down for me, and asked where Donald and Douglas were."

"That's right, Thomas," said David. "I tried to emphasize my point by throwing darts at a map of Sodor over where they could be."

"Heavens me!" gasped Thomas. "You almost had an inner demon of you own, like I had once! What did you do to them?!"

"Nothing serious," said David. "But admittedly, I temporarily became a very cold, bitter man towards them. I watched them work together, and their arguing did not convince me much. Then that night, I had a terrible nightmare of seeing Emily's accident. To see the main details of that accident, even in a nightmare made my heart turn into fire. I immediately left to find Caitlin and we hid at Black Loch until Donald and Douglas came along with some passengers."

"Then what?" asked Thomas.

"I came into view…and accused them of trying to kill her. Right after that, Caitlin suddenly lunged for them until they retreated down the line."

"When Caitlin told me what happened, I corrected her, and then confronted David on the matter," said Emily. "I told him not to make the same demonic mistakes you did back then, Thomas. But his grudge was still too much for him to hold back completely. There was an old set of buffers that Donald crashed into. The workmen got to repairing them at once, but then just when they were repaired and repainted red, Douglas slid along the line and crashed into them again. As punishment, the Thin Controller made him deliver coal to the all the chutes, without being cleaned."

"But then his trucks derailed beside me," said Percy. "As we argued, we suddenly heard David yell from the top of Gordon's Hill for Douglas to get moving."

"What next?" asked Thomas.

Emily continued. "Well, Douglas was so short-tempered by everything that had befallen him that day, he became careless at Knapford Station, and reversed right into Edward, knocking him off the rails and blocking two of the lines."

Then David spoke. "And to see Edward, the oldest engine in the Steam Team be derailed by one of the same engines who derailed my father's engine, drove me wild with rage. So much so, that through a quiet talk with his driver, Jock, I took Douglas to Arlesburgh Yards where you stayed to work on the Harwick Branch Line, Thomas, and I locked him in the shed for the night, with Daisy."

"I saw it happen, Thomas," said Emily. "I promised Douglas I'd get him out, and did I ever snap at David."

"In spite of my position as a Navy captain, Emily's orders always get through to me in a way that I can never pass up," said David. "After I let Douglas go, Mr. Percival gave a stern talking-to and advised me to immediately stop my thoughts of going after the twins. I went home to think things over very carefully, and I finally realized just why I had formed such a grudge against them, so I went to tell Emily."

"But since I didn't know about the talk he had with the Thin Controller," said Emily. "I felt even more nervous about what would happen next, and I had quite a slew of nightmares, one after another. One was about David pondering over how to get Donald and Douglas while Daisy and her driver kept stealing his bed springs as Daisy is 'high-sprung,' and suddenly thinking the Steelworks was the Fat Controller's weakspot. The next one was about Douglas having an accident with a load of stone, and one of them knocked David out. Then he burst awake and fought Jock on Cranky's arm until he ran him through!"

Thomas gasped. "Oh dear, Emily! And I wasn't there to reassure you or calm you down in the night!"

"And the third nightmare," said Emily. "I was at the Steelworks where you and James wandered to. An odd-looking engine with many gears on him told me to escape."

"That must have been Theo, Emily," said Thomas. "That was his name."

"I see," said Emily. "Anyway, as I made my way to the gate…I saw Donald and Douglas come by, still arguing and choosing to work there…then I saw Frankie and Hurricane corner them from both sides and trap them together. I was too late to warn them…then I saw David jump out of Frankie and rejoice the capture. I was too late to save my brothers too as the door shut on me and David encased both of them in cages!"

"Cinders and Ashes!" said Thomas. "What happened next?"

"I woke up once more, feeling most frightened. You weren't there to reassure me, and I was sure David was going to do something awful! That was when I saw him walking to the sheds. I immediately snapped at him, demanding him not to do anything rash to my brother figures, or their crews."

David shook his head shamefully. "After she described all the nightmares to me, I was nearly heartbroken, and I assured her I would never do anything of the sort…and that I had a story to tell her myself…about why I treated them with such anger."

"And what was your reason, David?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, David. What caused you to hold such a grudge against the engines I performed a deputation for?" asked Percy.

David told Thomas and Percy all about what he knew about Sailor John, and how he was the reason he was kicked out of the Navy. He told them about the ambush Sailor John had sparked on the HMS Defender, and how David saved the crew by trapping Sailor John in a whirlpool, then exposing his actions to the General.

"So Thomas, and Percy," said David as he drew his naval cutlass. "This sword was given to me by the corporal as tribute."

And he stepped down from Emily and took a few swipes through the air with his sword before sheathing it again.

"These black boots I'm wearing right now were from one of the soldiers. My silver charm here was from another soldier…then I eventually gave this charm to Dad, then Thomas' driver gave it to me again when I moved here. My medal of honour on my coat, that was another tribute. And best of all, the General gave me the Sea Emperor, which I sailed away in to start a new life, delivering goods between England and Scotland."

Thomas and Percy were amazed, shocked and astounded to hear what a part David must have played in Thomas' conflict with Sailor John over the treasure and the ultimate showdown at Vicarstown Station. Then David told them he went to such extremes because he felt guilty over his role in defeating Sailor John somehow leading to everything that had happened on Sodor by his doing.

After David sat down on her running plate again, Emily spoke next. "I told David he didn't need to feel responsible for that," said Emily. "And that made him very happy. Then he promised me he wouldn't target Donald and Douglas anymore. And just to make sure I wouldn't have any more nightmares, he slept with me, on my running plate."

Thomas smiled at David. "That's so cute."

"Then came a bright, crisp day," said Emily. "Skiff and Captain Joe were supposed to place buoys out on the water, but Joe became ill with heat exhaustion. David and Jock went out to help Skiff. David wasn't too keen on having Douglas' driver help him…until Skiff saw a fin cut through the water…there were sharks out there, which is why Skiff was asked to place the buoys to mark their area."

Thomas gasped. "Sharks?!"

"Yes, Thomas," said David. "We panicked and tried rowing away, but Jock lost one of the oars, and since he was getting hot and bothered, he decided to swim the rest of the way. But a snap from a shark stopped him. We were both surrounded by two large blue sharks. It was scary indeed…until after Jock jumped out to swim away, I latched Skiff's rope to one of the shark's fins and rode it to shore, saving Jock on the way."

"Fire and Smoke!" said Thomas. "That must have been petrifying!"

"It was, but we were brave and sure," said David. "But it wasn't over yet. Three days after that incident, my dislike for the twins began tweaking me again as I heard many people talking about how wonderful they were. It sounded hypocritical to me, given Emily's issue and their other issues beforehand. As such, I began picking on the other engines who spoke highly of them. To Henry, Edward and Mavis, I had some form of complaint or denouncing of Donald and Douglas to tell them. Then Emily decided she had taken enough. That night, I visited your berth again, Thomas."

"And what happened then?" asked Thomas.

"I was looking at the picture of you in that crate, when Percy came by and began being cheeky with me for my arguing with the other engines."

"That's right," said Percy. "I told him to get up off his-"

"Hey, you're Emily's son, watch the language," David said again, like he did that night. Thomas and Emily chuckled.

"Anyway," said David. "Percy's driver played a cassette tape that Emily's driver gave him. It was actually Emily's outburst from her accident that day. She had re-enacted it for me to hear myself, except it was directed toward me. I finally decided to oblige to her wishes and decided to listen to everything Donald and Douglas had to say…mostly in honour of my father."

"And it worked out perfectly," said Emily. "I took him to Donald and Douglas the next morning, and they told him everything clearly, what happened and why, then how I worked very nicely with them afterwards."

"Once they had explained everything to me, my view on them changed completely," said David. "I felt very ashamed of everything I had done to them, but also very thankful to hear everything. And from that day on, we've been on good terms. They're very fine brothers for Emily. And that is my first big story to tell while you were away."

Thomas was most interested. "Well, that is quite a story, David. Over to you, Emily. What happened next?"

"After that, things became more peaceful again, and a little sad too," said Emily. "A few days later, while I was waiting for David to come by and visit, he didn't come. I thought it would be best to go look for him. And as I travelled along the line, I went down a track I never took before…and it took me to the Sodor Cemetery."

Thomas went quiet. "Oh. Was David there?"

Emily began to sniffle a little. "Y-yes, he was…he went to Lawrence's gravestone to pay his respects…and he did the most beautiful thing he ever could! I saw such a lovely wreath with white roses…then such a perfect-looking rose he placed there!"

David began to choke up too. "I know Lawrence is still with us…but…but…I miss him, Thomas! I saw Emily right there, and I hugged her face and held her for a while in silence with her…then she took me back to Ffarquhar, where my house is on the outskirts."

"Oh, David," said Thomas. "I know it's tough. Lawrence is always with you and Emily."

David and Emily smiled. "I know he is, Thomas," said David as he turned around and kissed Emily's cheek.

"I had a share of loneliness and feeling sad too, Thomas," said Percy. "One evening, after my mail run, I went to Brendam Docks and just thought endlessly about Gina. Now having you around as my best friend reminded me of how far away Gina and I are. And after we made love together before she left for the New Year, I felt even worse not to have her…but Emily was there for me that night, and we went to Knapford Sheds to have another mother-to-son night together."

"Gina will always love you, Percy. I'm sure of it," said Emily.

"Then what happened?" asked Thomas.

"Easter came along, and this year, I was chosen to take the children on the egg hunt," said Emily. "I felt happy working with children. When I arrived at Knapford Station, I saw the Thin Controller place a large covered basket in my cab. Then all the children arrived with their baskets, and I took them to Elsbridge, the Bluebird Café, Farmer McColl's and then back here. Most of the children found some eggs, but there were a few who got none at all and were disappointed…until, at Knapford, the Thin Controller revealed the basket he put in my cab earlier…it was full of eggs for all the children to fill their baskets! They all thanked me for making it the best Easter ever!"

"Oh, Emily," Thomas beamed. "That makes a very good Easter for you too! So much that happened, goodness me! What next?"

Then Emily suddenly looked a little serious. Now she was going to share the biggest discovery she had experienced while he was away.

"Actually, Thomas…I never knew this would happen, but when May came along, I delivered some supplies to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre…and there, I discovered something that no one else on Sodor had ever known before."

"What do you mean, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"I discovered…another relationship. Thomas…there's another romantic couple on Sodor."

"I don't think so, Emily," said Thomas. "I believe the couples on Sodor are me and you, James and Molly, Rosie and Stanley, Luke and Millie and Percy and Gina."

"Excuse me, Thomas," Emily corrected. "There IS one other couple, who are part of the Search and Rescue Centre."

"And who is that, Emily?"

Emily paused impressively. "…Belle and Flynn."

Thomas' heart skipped a few beats. "B-Belle? Flynn?" he exclaimed. "Really?"

"Yes, Thomas," said Emily. "I saw them kissing together, and they caught me before I could leave. They then decided to tell me all about it."

Emily then told Thomas all about what she had heard about Belle and Flynn. How they first met on the Mainland, when Flynn had his partner Simon. About how they briefly separated when the Fat Controller bought her, then how Flynn soon followed and helped her save the Dieselworks.

"My," said Thomas. "So that's how they came to Sodor? I like that."

"But then things went very wrong for Flynn," said Emily.

And she told him about how after Belle and Toby formed a little friendship, a fire broke out at Adam and Jill's house, trapping them inside, and how Simon sacrificed his life to save them. Thomas felt very sorry to hear of Simon's death and now fully understood exactly why Flynn became so ridiculously silly afterward, with Belle sticking with him and helping however she could. Then she talked about how they had a heartfelt talk together about how much they meant to each other as partners…and then how they heard about Rosie's kissing incident with Thomas, which made Belle very nervous about possibly being rejected by Flynn.

"Oh, yes…" Thomas said as it all became clear. "So that's why they disappeared during the Christmas party. I never imagined…"

"That's right, Thomas," said Emily. "They confessed their love that same evening, and kissed under mistletoe."

"But…why didn't we ever know anything about it?" asked Thomas.

"They had decided to keep it a secret from everyone except the rest of the Rescue Team," Emily explained. "They thought that if everyone learned about it, they'd get skeptical and have them be sent away, fearing their love would be a distraction from their duty."

"Hmm…I can see why," said Thomas. "Did they ever reveal that secret?"

"I'm getting to that, Thomas," Emily winked. "As time passed, their relationship became more and more passionate, and yet they stuck to their duties, from when the inspectors checked them over, to when Rocky got derailed, which they did NOT talk about at all, seeing how silly the whole team got that day, right up to that heatwave we had some time ago with those buckled tracks. Through all that, they kept ensuring safety and peace on the island, and enjoying their relationship too…right up until I saw them kissing that night."

"Wow!" Thomas gasped. "So, they told you everything…then what did you do?"

"I encouraged them to reveal their secret so they wouldn't have to live in fear about it all the time…and after some consideration, we invited all the engines we could to the yards, and with my help, they told everyone the whole story…and everyone thought it was a true gift."

"Well!" said Thomas. "I'm very proud of Belle and Flynn! I should congratulate them one day!"

"Maybe, Thomas," said Emily. "But then after that, I began to feel very sad again…"

"Really?" asked Thomas. "I'm sorry if leaving caused you all that sadness."

"It's alright, Thomas," said Emily. "You're home now. Anyway, knowing that Belle and Flynn were in love made me remember how much I missed you. It had been a few months, and everywhere I went, I was reminded of you and how much I love you…it was all becoming overwhelming for me. Even spending a night with Percy wouldn't have helped me…and on top of that, I learned that Edward was moving out of Tidmouth Sheds to Wellsworth again. You see, he had decided to stay in his berth again until you came home, but then decided it wasn't worth it to wait that long. I saw him leaving, and I couldn't let him go so easily."

"Well, what did you do, Emily?" asked Thomas.

"I…I gave him a kiss on his cheek," said Emily. "To thank him for everything he had done for us and our relationship, seeing it more than we did before we ever kissed, comforting me when you went to Misty Island, and helping you vanquish your demon."

"Oh, Emily," Thomas smiled. "That was so sweet of you to kiss Edward, my oldest friend on the island."

"Thanks, Thomas," Emily smiled back. "After he left, I decided I had to visit Donald and Douglas for help. I confessed to them that I was the only one who knew of your big world adventure right from the start. No one else knew, but me. Not even them. And after missing you so badly, I needed buffers to cry on. And…they…they were so sweet to me."

"They were?" asked Thomas.

"Yes," said Emily. "I asked for Douglas' comfort first, and he cuddled me…and he kissed me. I love him so much as a brother figure. I love Donnie and Douggie so dearly…"

"Ooh, you called them by their nicknames too?" Thomas smiled.

"What do you think of Donald and Douglas, Emily?" asked Percy. "Are they good brothers?"

"They certainly were that night," Emily sighed. "I stopped crying over missing Thomas, then began crying happily from all the brotherly love they were giving me. Donald and Douglas both took turns kissing and cuddling me until I felt better."

"Oh, that sounds sweet, Emily," said Thomas. "Donald and Douglas are doing very well with you indeed."

"But then when June came along," said Emily, sounding more displeased. "And with it came the hottest, stickiest, most unbearable heatwave we've had in a long time. The beach was too warm to swim at, Percy was too hot even at night with his mail deliveries, and too hot for me!"

"Ooh," Thomas groaned. "Well, what happened to you?"

"Well, I was sent to gather some stone from the Blue Mountain Quarry. Diesel had bumped me that morning to say hello, and I was too hot and bothered to care. After collecting the stone, I felt very thirsty again. While I was refilling again, Diesel teased me about needing a drink, and in less than an hour, I was thirsty again. As much water as I drank, it didn't work…the heat was so fierce, my tubes had burst, and I couldn't go any further, leading to Diesel calling me 'Drippy!' I was very cross indeed about it."

"Why didn't I stay here?!" Thomas exclaimed shamefully. "I could have dealt with him for you."

"You wouldn't have needed to, Thomas," said Emily. "Once I was repaired, the heatwave burned on. The next time I refilled with water, David went with me and fanned my face with his newspaper."

"It seemed to work alright," said David. "Until Diesel came up again and bumped us so that Emily got showered with water all over her face. I was as mad as a grizzly bear, but Diesel was already leaving and laughing his motor out. The only good thing from that incident is that the water really cooled down Emily's face."

"Yes, it did," said Emily. "That was a little uplift…but it got even better when I heard that Diesel had laughed so much, he forgot about refilling with fuel…and got stuck on a level crossing in the burning heat, causing a terrible traffic jam. I was sent to help him, and after I heard some of the angry, rude remarks from the drivers, I decided not to contribute to it. Instead, I whistled loudly to stop the shouting and I pulled Diesel to Kellsthorpe to refuel."

"Smelly ol' Diesel!" fumed Percy. "Serves him right! That wasn't fair for you, Emily!"

"Well, Percy and Thomas," Emily said. "Two wonderful things followed after that. That same evening, David told me that the heatwave would end the next morning, and it did! We all felt much better! And what's more, with every water tower I refilled at and saw Diesel, he decided not to tease me. I think running out of fuel knocked a little lesson into him."

"I wish I was here to see it," chuckled Thomas.

"But then…came a most perilous day for me," David said, suddenly looking a little frightened. "My father came here to enjoy Sodor and see Emily again, and he ended up unfairly paying for it with his life…I nearly lost my own."

Thomas gasped. "You…you almost died, David?"

"Well, I came close," said David. "Around mid-August, we had constant rain for an entire week. Then an old tree on Ulfstead River fell in and wedged against a rock nearby the same bridge where Toby was swept away in that flood."

"Oh, yes. I remember that day," said Thomas. "So what happened?"

"The Thin Controller sent me to help clear the tree away before it could break the new bridge over that river," said Emily. "In the yard, some workmen gave me a chain to help pull the tree away, when David came by and offered to help. After we talked to Toby about his flood incident, we were on our way. I tried pulling the tree away, but its branch wedged into the rock and I couldn't move…so David helped haul it out again for me to pull the rest of the way."

"Wow, you're strong, David," Thomas beamed.

"What did you expect, Thomas? I served in the Navy after all," David grinned. "After we saved the tree, I decided to check for any more trees in trouble…but I did not see Sir Lowham sneak up behind me…and give me a little scare…which led to disaster. I stepped back and away from him, and found myself leaning back too far, over the river! Sir Lowham tried to help me, but he slipped and bumped into me…and we both fell into the river!"

"What?" exclaimed Thomas. "Into the river?"

"Yes, Thomas," said Emily. "It was frightful! I saw them get swept away, and I had to go after them before something even worse happened! I called for Harold to keep a lookout for them until I reached the river again."

"Sir Lowham and I were both fighting for our lives on the river," said David. "And we were hotly arguing who was to blame…until Sir Lowham swam to the nearest riverbank he could reach. I thought I made him go away and beamed with victory, until I heard Emily scream for me to swim. I looked back, and I saw the 'Beware the Waterfall,' sign. I panicked, I swam and called for help, but I couldn't swim away! Emily came as close as she could and her crew threw the chain out to me!"

"Oh, it was such a scary image, Thomas!" Emily panted. "Seeing him go from smiling, to gaping and panicking for help, and gripping for his life not to get swept away to his death! Harold came by just in case anything did happen, and I pulled him back to the riverbank! I was so relieved to have saved him! I would have been destroyed to lose him after Lawrence!"

"I felt relieved, jumpy and shaky all at once," David sighed. "I just sat on the side of the river for a long time, until the rain stopped, and we saw a most beautiful sunset together!"

"I was so, so happy that evening, Thomas!" Emily declared. "We dropped Sir Lowham at Knapford Station where Dowager Hatt was waiting…and that night, David slept with me again…and we saw Lawrence again. It was such a lovely sight to see after I saved his son!"

"Oh, Emily, you were a true hero that day, saving my life," said David as he kissed her cheek again.

"I'm very glad to hear you're okay, David," Thomas sighed. "You were very brave too. Is there anything else that happened after that until I came home with Nia?"

"Two other things, Thomas. Yes," said Emily. "September came along…and what happened then was…we heard news from India that you were on your way home. The Thin Controller had sent letters all over the island, but my driver's letter and David's letter were missed in all the excitement. So neither of us heard about your return until later. I had learned that all the engines were invited to the yards again, like for Belle and Flynn, and they all heard the news. And when the Thin Controller told me and David the news…you should have seen it…"

"Ohh…Emily…" Thomas whispered. "I can only imagine how excited you must have been…"

"I was, Thomas. I couldn't stop screaming over and over that you were coming home! I whistled and raced all over the island, announcing to every engine I passed! It was the happiest I had ever felt until I saw you come home, and then we had so much fun at Black Loch again!"

"I know, Emily," Thomas laughed. "And then…what was the last thing that happened?"

"Well…it was a little sad for James," said Emily. "The Thin Controller later told us that another engine was coming with you, in the hopes of living here…and as such…he had to ask Molly to leave Tidmouth Sheds for the new engine."

Thomas suddenly felt a little sad. "Molly? Oh dear, Emily. I'm so sorry…"

"No, Thomas. It's okay," said Emily. "Molly was happy to make way for a new engine. James went after her, and I can assume they shared one more night at Knapford Sheds together before she moved away. Then, we spent the next little while preparing the welcome home party at Knapford Station…and then at long last…you were home…my handsome cobalt star came home. Thomas, the love of my life…"

Thomas smiled at Emily. Emily smiled back and puckered her lips and smooched very quietly.

"Oh! Excuse me," chuckled David as he stepped down from her running plate. Then Thomas and Emily shared a lovely kiss together.

"Oh, Thomas! Emily!" Percy bubbled happily as he saw them kissing.

After they had their kiss, Emily looked right at Thomas. "So…that's it, Thomas. That's mostly everything that happened while you were away. Now you're all caught up with Sodor again. What do you think?"

Thomas stood there, amazed. There was so much that had happened on Sodor while he was away, it was almost too much to believe, but there it was, from his friends to tell him the whole story. It was the best story about Sodor he had ever heard, especially since he was out travelling the world during all those events.

"Well…" he said. "That is all very interesting to hear. Sodor is full of surprises! Even though I was gone, so much had happened here, just like so much happened during my big world adventure!"

Emily was suddenly excited when she heard those words. "That's right, Thomas! We've told you about what happened here…but enough about Sodor. What about you? Tell us all about your big world adventure! How was your trip? I'd love to know!"

"Me too, Thomas!" peeped Percy. "Please tell us all about it! You finally travelled the world as you wished to do!"

Now Thomas was excited. Now he could tell Emily and his best friend everything he had seen and done beyond Sodor, out in the big open world.

"Alright. Here we go," said Thomas. Emily listened eagerly. Now she would hear all about her cobalt star's adventures through seeing the world.

So Thomas began. "After I left Sodor and bade goodbye with you, my adventure with Ace began in Dakar Docks in Senegal, Africa. That was the first continent I saw with Ace. It was amazing to see a place so different from Sodor. Very colourful, lively, busy and full of camels! I took Ace to his race in the Sahara Desert, then went off to pull some trucks of my own. Everywhere I looked, there was sand, sand, sand! Sand everywhere. I ended up pulling a long, long train by myself…that's when I met Nia. She talked about how big engines usually take all the trucks, and offered to help me. I insisted I didn't need help, but with all those trucks, I couldn't get up the hill. It was too much for me, and before I knew it, Nia came along to help me."

"Did she?" said Emily.

"We huffed on through the sandy landscape, then through a magnificent sunset, seeing so many different animals on the way, until we reached Dar es Salaam Docks in Tanzania. I was looking for Ace to meet up again and follow him to the next country or continent…but soon after I was loaded onto the next ferry, Nia had followed me. She wanted to see the world too. I was not very keen on that since that's what I wanted to be the first engine to achieve that. That night, I was still unhappy as Nia slept…but it turned out that Ace was onboard and he told me not to let anyone hold me down. And the next morning, we docked at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in South America."

"South America!" said Emily. "What was it like?"

"Like Africa, it was very colourful, bright and crisp," said Thomas. "But much wetter, as I soon found out. I volunteered to take a goods train loaded with coffee through the Amazon Rainforest to send to San Francisco in North America, while Ace could continue his race through the forest track. But on the way, he had crashed and I had to help him the rest of the way. He was determined to get to his next race on the Utah Salt Flats, but then I ran out of water. We had to wait until a rainstorm hit, and my driver and fireman gathered water through a set of leaves to refill my boiler."

"I see," said Emily. "I guess it was very wet there, being a rainforest?"

"It was, Emily," said Thomas. "But it didn't stop there. As we crossed a bridge over a raging river, the bridge collapsed and almost swept us away, but we kept going."

"A raging river?" asked Emily. "Like when David and Sir Lowham were swept away?"

"I guess," said Thomas. "On the next ship we took, while Nia slept…I…I…began thinking about you again. I began to feel very lonely without you."

"Oh, you did, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"Yes," said Thomas. "With everything I had seen so far, just through two continents, I thought it was a wonderful world…but I knew it could never be truly wonderful without you. I only wished I could be with you again…"

"Just like me…well…what happened at the next continent?" asked Emily.

"Eventually, we crossed the ocean and we were in Arizona, in the Grand Canyon, in North America. It was spectacular down there. I've never seen a canyon so deep in my life! But Ace was still eager to get to his next race, while Nia told me to keep my promise and do the important work first…and as such, Ace tricked Nia and I into a race, and told me to pace myself and take a different way for some fun, which separated me from Nia, and crashed me! I saw a big, bearded steam engine come along and remind me of going too fast."

"What was his name?" asked Emily.

"I never got it," said Thomas. "He looked like a Wild Western engine, like a cowboy engineer would use. But he told me they don't use breakdown cranes in the Grand Canyon. So I was left there all night, fearing if I'd end up staying there until I was rusted through! But the next morning, that engine came back and helped me on track with some horses!"

"Horses?" asked Emily. "That sounds interesting…"

"I was glad to be helped on track again," said Thomas. "But by the time we reached the Utah Salt Flats, I decided I had enough of Ace and his ego for racing. I wanted to find Nia again and say sorry for not accepting her help and separating form her too. And that was the last I ever saw of Ace. I travelled across America and delivered the coffee to San Francisco as originally planned between me and Nia, and asked a diesel shunter if she knew anything about Nia. I learned she was on her way to China, and I took the next ferry right away. By that night, I felt very silly and foolish about what I had done to reject her help and advice. I imagined her beside me…and saw her form in the stars. I couldn't believe how foolish I had been…"

"Oh, Thomas…" said Emily.

"But her form wasn't the only one I saw in the sky…I also began to think about you…and I saw your form too. It was enough to drive me to tears, like you needed Donald and Douglas' buffers to cry on."

"Of course, Thomas," Emily whispered.

"By the time I reached China, I was feeling very downhearted. I didn't even want to travel the world anymore. I just wanted to make things better for Nia. Then, as I approached a station, I eventually met someone from the Great Railway Show."

"Really? Who, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"The red steam engine with the dragon on his funnel…Yong Bao. I think he was in the Best Decorated Engine Competition."

Emily suddenly remembered. "Yes, I remember him!" she said. "I talked with him a little about you at the Great Railway Show, and he told me how he rescued a whole train of passengers from an accident! He had a feeling he'd meet you someday!"

"Well, he certainly saw me again that time," said Thomas. "Well, I asked him if he had seen Nia, and a passing diesel said she was heading for Zhangye Danxia…the Rainbow Mountains. I remembered Nia saying something about that on her first ferry with me. I immediately followed the track past Yong Bao. He told me I'd need a snowplough in the mountains, but I was too excited to meet Nia and make things right. I kept going, but couldn't find her anywhere there. I kept travelling, right until I reached the Himalayan Mountains."

"Wow! The Himalayan Mountains!" said Emily.

"Oh yes, Emily," said Thomas. "It was snowing steadily up there…but I was sure I saw a line of smoke ahead of me, going around the bend…then I saw her. I called out to her, hearing my voice echo through the mountains. She was still cross at me for tricking her. I tried explaining to her it was Ace's idea to separate from her, but she wasn't so convinced. I called to her once again and whistled to her too. Just as she stopped and asked if I meant it, all my calling and whistling had started an avalanche, head on for her! I told her to go for the tunnel, but her wheels slipped, and she was swept away to the ledge of the mountainside!"

"Oh dear!" cried Emily and Percy. "What did you do?"

"I rushed over to her and my crew hooked a chain to her. I tried to pull her up again, but the rock gave way and she fell! Her weight pulled me down too. I couldn't hold her! It seemed like it was all over for me and her…until Yong Bao came by, stopped my fall and pushed me up again, saving Nia too! It was the most relieved I had ever felt!"

"Heavens, Thomas! You must have been scared!" Emily gasped. "I wouldn't be surprised if that happened around the same time I saved David from the waterfall! I may not have been pulled down with him, but he held onto a chain too!"

"You're right, Emily," said Thomas. "I think that goes to show how connected you and I really are."

"Oh, you two," David chuckled to himself.

"But to think that Sodor had an equivalent to me saving Nia's life. And you saved David's life in a very similar way!" gasped Thomas. "Later when the sun came out, Nia was helped back onto the line. As happy as I was that she was alright, I felt very foolish trying to save her by myself. I could have fallen to my end! It's all because of Yong Bao that we both made it out in one piece! He was most relieved too…and then…he asked me where I would be going next…and Nia said back to Sodor, so I'd be the first engine to go all around the world. But I decided we'd both be engines who had traveled the world…and so we made our way home together, until at last…we made it home. I felt sad to say goodbye to Nia…but then she told me that her shed in Kenya wasn't there anymore. She had nowhere to go…and so, I invited her to live with us. We came home together…and now, I'm back with all of you. All my dearest friends, and you, my beautiful emerald angel."

And Thomas buffered to Emily again and kissed her lips. Emily kissed him right back for a moment before they released each other's lips again and exchanged a long smile together. Now both Thomas and Emily were caught up. Thomas had heard everything about Sodor, and Emily now heard everything about his big world adventure, as did Percy, being Thomas' best friend. By now, the daylight had disappeared and night had descended.

"Thank you so much, Thomas!" Emily whistled. "That was a truly amazing story about your big world adventure!"

"You're most welcome, Emily," said Thomas. "All your stories were lots of fun too. Even yours, David. Dramatic and exciting stories you had!"

"Well, what's life without some excitement?" David joked.

"Wow, Thomas!" Percy whistled. "You've seen it all! You've seen the world! That was so amazing to hear! Now, I need to get to my mail deliveries!"

"Of course, Percy. Well, what matters most is that we're all together again," said Thomas. "Thank you, for everything, Emily!"

"Thank you too, Thomas," said Emily. "For coming back home to all your friends…and to me!"

She blew her whistle, and Thomas, Emily, Percy and David all laughed together. And so, Thomas and Emily were now all caught up, romantically and socially. Now life had truly gone back to normal for Thomas. But as Thomas had been all across the globe over half a year, with no repaint in that timeline, he was due for a fresh coat soon, as was Emily. And with that little repaint would come more passion…very colourful passion. A day of passion and paint was soon on the way.

* * *

Yeah this is really just a recap story, just to fill Thomas in on everything that happened while was away, and to talk about what happened in the film. We're only one story away from jumping into Season 22, which should be fun, especially since we'll finally have Rebecca in these stories. Anyway, tell us what you thought of this one and we'll see you next time.


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